Jersey Shore fishing: Mixed results for sharkers

The first weekend of shark tournaments yielded mixed results for mako fishermen. The "winner takes all" Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo out of Hoffman's Marina in Brielle is usually won by a fairly large mako, but this year it only took a 225-pounder by Capt. Rick Chiarello of Toms River on Sweet Melissa to win the money while Capt. Darren Volker fell just short for the third time after weighing a 216-pound mako on his Mary Lou Crew. Actually the biggest north Jersey mako was the one reported by Capt. Bryan Pieros on his Daylight out of Belmar and reported in this blog on Saturday after he weighed it at 231 pounds. Pieros wouldn't have caught that particular mako if he had been in the Mako Rodeo as he didn't leave until 10 a.m., and stopped short in the Mud Hole at 25 miles after seeing bunkers before quickly hooking the mako. The Mako Rodeo reported hundreds of blue sharks caught by their fleet along with several mako releases.

The South Jersey Marina Shark Tournament was postponed a day by the storm, but still drew 52 boats vying for a purse of $122,536. They weighed in eight makos and released 28, but the usually abundant blue sharks were relatively scarce with four weighed and only 19 released. Threshers often win this early season contest, but only three were brought in. Jack & Ginga had the largest shark, a 288-pound thresher for $15, 366.88, beating out a 248-pound blue on Warden Pass. Sea El U had the mako winner at 200 pounds that took the lion's share of the prize money. Anglers in the Freeport Hudson Anglers Shark Tournament fish mostly in the same waters as North Jersey sharkers. Reel Satisfaction won Saturday's contest with a 282.8-pound mako, over Reel Nice with a 240-pound mako, and the third place 238.4-pound thresher on Cliff Hanger.